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Nationwide Series Post Race Report from Chicagoland Speedway

Post race notes and quotes from the NNS race at Chicagoland Speedway

RCR/HHP Photo

Chicagoland Speedway

NASCAR Nationwide Series
July 21, 2013

Race Highlights
• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Austin Dillon), 10th (Matt Crafton), 11th (Brian Scott) and 15th (Dakoda Armstrong).
• Dillon is third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish by eight markers, while Scott is eighth in the standings, 65 points behind the leader.
• The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fifth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team 10th in the standings and the No. 33 team 14th.
• According to NASCAR's Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon was Fastest on Restarts (166.151 mph), ranked second in Average Running Position with an Average Running Place of 2.925, and had the fourth-best Driver Rating (122.6).
• Crafton ranked second in the Closers category, advancing two positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
• Scott completed 33 passes while running in the top 15, positioning him seventh in Quality Passes.
• Armstrong ranked fifth in the Closers category, advancing one position in the final 10 percent of the race.
• Joey Logano earned his second victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Sam Hornish Jr., Dillon, Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers.
• The next Nationwide Series race is the Indiana 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 27. The 19th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Indy Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio Channel 90.

Brian Scott Finishes 11th at Chicagoland Speedway

Brian Scott headed into the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Chicagoland Speedway as one of four four competitors vying to take home a $100,000 bonus as part of the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash program. Scott and the No. 2 Fast Fixin' team started from the ninth position, but fought a loose handling condition throughout the STP 300 and ultimately earned an 11th-place finish. Upon taking the green flag Scott battled inside the top-10 for the opening portion of the event. On lap 18 he reported that he was loose on exit of the corner. The caution flag was displayed on lap 48, prompting Scott to bring his Fast Fixin' Camaro to the attention of his crew for four tires, a full tank of fuel and a chassis adjustment. After restarting seventh, the Boise, Idaho-native once again reported he was loose in traffic as he was scored in the 10th spot. As the race remained green, Scott made a green-flag pit stop on lap 102 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to fix the loose condition. Once all green-flag stops cycled through, Scott was scored eighth. The caution flag waved on lap 128 and Scott brought his No. 2 machine to the attention of his crew for another round if four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 133 with Scott in the 12th spot. The set of changes proved to help the handling of his machine as he climbed as high as seventh. As the laps wound down, Scott battled to stay inside the top-10. He was tapped from behind by a competitor in the closing laps, relegating him to an 11th-place finish.

Start - 9 Finish - 11 Laps Led - 0 Points - 8
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
"We started off the weekend really well by leading the final practice. When it came race time we were so loose in traffic and had to battle back on restarts. In clean air we were able to track down the competition, but just couldn't do anything in dirty air. We'll look at everything and head to Indy. I can't thank Fast Fixn' enough for coming on board this weekend; it was great to have them at the track."

Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the STP 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday afternoon, besting the performances of fellow Dash 4 Cash competitors Brian Scott, Brian Vickers and Michael Annett to earn a $100,000 bonus for the second-consecutive week. Dillon is now eligible for Nationwide Insurance's fourth and final leg of the Dash 4 Cash program next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and is the only series competitor who has qualified for every leg of the program. The Welcome, N.C. driver started Sunday's race from the third position and never fell below eighth in the running order. He made his first pit stop of the event during a caution period on lap 48 for four tires, fuel and adjustments to improve a loose-handling condition. Dillon restarted from the fifth position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 53 and led laps 108 through 130 before pitting during a caution for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. He restarted from the fourth position on lap 133 and advanced to the third spot for the race's finish to secure his second-consecutive third-place finish and the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash Bonus. Dillon remains third in the Nationwide Series driver point standings, eight points shy of the lead.

Start - 3 Finish - 3 Laps Led - 24 Points - 3

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
"Wow, another $100,000. Thanks to Nationwide Insurance for putting this program together, and first and foremost, thanks to the Lord above. We had a great AdvoCare Chevrolet today. We started off a little free. We made a big adjustment during the first pit stop and it turned out to really help us. The AdvoCare team did a good job today. It was about track position at the end there. I think the fans should have enjoyed it because it was four-wide racing at the end on that one restart."

Dakoda Armstrong Brings Home Top-15 Finish at Chicagoland

Returning to the NASCAR Nationwide Series for this third appearance of the 2013 season with Richard Childress Racing, Dakoda Armstrong collected his second top-15 finish Sunday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway. After qualifying 17th earlier in the day, the 22-year-old driver maintained a top-20 running position for the entire 200-lap event while battling handling issues on his No. 21 WinField Chevrolet Camaro. Armstrong visited pit road on lap 102 for a scheduled four-tire pit stop and chassis adjustment under green-flag conditions in an effort to alleviate handling issues the RCR driver was battling. Before green-flag pit stops cycled through the field, the caution flag was displayed, placing Armstrong one lap down to the leader and positioning him 16th for the ensuing restart. As green-flag racing resumed, the Indiana native continued to hold onto a position near the top 15 and was the recipient of the "Lucky Dog" award when the fifth caution of the day came out on lap 172. Armstrong remained in the top 20 during the final laps, crossing the finish 15th.

Start - 17 Finish - 15 Laps Led - 0 Points - N/A

DAKODA ARMSTRONG QUOTE:
"The biggest thing that helped us today was that this Richard Childress Racing crew never gave up. Every change they made to the WinField Camaro seemed to help. We had great speed at the end of the final two runs that really gave us a chance to fight at the end. I'm happy to get another top-15 Nationwide Series finish, and am looking for more good things to come from this team in our final two races of the year."

Matt Crafton Scores Top-10 Finish in Second Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Start

In his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series start, Matt Crafton finished 10th in the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Crafton started the event from the fourth position and remained in the top five until lap 28 when he reported the No. 33 Rheem/Menards car was loose on exit. The caution flag was displayed on lap 49, prompting crew chief Ernie Cope to call Crafton to pit road for four Goodyear Eagle tires, Sunoco Green E15 fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The Tulare, Calif., native restarted the race on lap 53 from the sixth position. Shortly after pitting for routine service under green-flag conditions on lap 100, Crafton reported a bad vibration in the rear of the car, forcing the team to make an unscheduled stop on lap 112. The crew changed four tires and topped off with fuel as Crafton returned to the track on lap 114 in the 18th position, one lap down to the leader. Crafton raced his way into the "Lucky Dog" position and rejoined the lead lap cars when the caution flag was displayed on lap 130. Crafton restarted in the 15th position and quickly worked his way to the 12th position by lap 149. The caution flag was displayed again on lap 172 for an accident, and Crafton relayed to the team he was still too loose off. Receiving four tires and a splash of fuel on pit road, he returned to the track in the 12th spot. During the closing laps, Crafton battled his way to the 10th position, where he finished the race. The finish marked his second top-10 in his second career Nationwide Series start.

Start - 4 Finish - 10 Laps Led - 0 Owner Points - 14

MATT CRAFTON QUOTE:
"We battled a loose car most of the race, but I'm proud of the way this team fought back to get a top-10 finish. I am grateful to Menards and the entire Richard Childress Racing organization for the opportunity to be behind the wheel in the Nationwide Series. We'll take this top-10 and hope to improve on it in my next run at Kentucky Speedway."